{"id":17078,"date":"2016-11-27T13:48:00","date_gmt":"2016-11-27T13:48:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/in-syrian-monastery-priest-who-escaped-isis-sees-signs-of-hope-69282\/"},"modified":"2016-11-27T13:48:00","modified_gmt":"2016-11-27T13:48:00","slug":"in-syrian-monastery-priest-who-escaped-isis-sees-signs-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/11\/in-syrian-monastery-priest-who-escaped-isis-sees-signs-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"In Syrian monastery, priest who escaped ISIS sees signs of hope"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/p>\n

Homs, Syria, Nov 27, 2016 \/ 06:48 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The fourth-century saint Mar Elian\u2019s relics survived the Islamic State\u2019s destruction of the Syrian monastery that bears his name, and a priest who escaped captivity says these are among the signs of hope for Syria.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Mar Elian, we have always hoped to welcome everyone. Mar Elian was really a sign of hope for the Syrian people,\u201d Fr. Jacques Mourad told CNA. \u201cEverything changed when I was taken hostage. But we can still build something. We must, however, await the end of this war.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fr. Mourad was captured by the Islamic State group in May 2015, and escaped some five months later. He was prior of the monastery of Mar Elian, in the Syrian town of Al Qaryatayn, about 60 miles southeast of Homs.<\/p>\n

The monastery had given refuge to hundreds of Syrians displaced from Al Quaryatayn, and partnered with Muslim donors to provide for their needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cMar Elian was a hermit who lived in the fourth century, and his relics were kept in the monastery dedicated to him,\u201d the priest said.<\/p>\n

In August 2015, Islamic State militants captured and destroyed the monastery. Between 160 and 230 Christians and Muslims were abducted from the town. Several dozen are known to have escaped captivity.<\/p>\n

Despite the horrors of war, the area\u2019s Christians still looked to the monastery of Mar Elian.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the destruction of the monastery, we thought his relics were lost, but instead we were able to find them. This gave us great consolation,\u201d Fr. Mourad said. The recovery of the relics represents \u201ca great sign of hope for the coming days,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Christians in Syria are looking forward to \u201cplacing the bones of Mar Elian back in the places where they were kept, and to pray again around that relics.\u201d
\n\u00a0
\nThe town of Al Qaryatayn was re-taken by Russian-backed Syrian forces and their allies in April 2016.<\/p>\n

The priest reflected on the motives of the Islamic State.
\n\u00a0
\n\u201cWhen ISIS troops took the region, among the first things they attacked was Mar Elian\u2019s tomb, with the aim to destroy only the ancient monastery,\u201d he added.
\n\u00a0
\nFor the militants, he explained, tombs, relics and saints are \u201ca heresy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey cannot accept that the cities they seize have places where tombs or relics of saints are kept. They believe that there is no need for a tomb, as once a person passes away, his existence is over on earth.\u201d
\n\u00a0
\nFr. Mourad said that Islamic State militants, in capturing him, \u201cwanted to send a message to Christians in the region: you are not welcome here. It was a way to push Christians to flee.\u201d
\n\u00a0
\nDespite signs of hope, the future of the monastery, like the future of the people in the region, is uncertain.<\/p>\n

Reviewing the situation, Fr. Mourad lamented that \u201cnothing has changed in Mar Elian, and everything is abandoned.\u201d He stressed that there is only a small community of Muslims still living in the area, \u201cperhaps because they have no more places where to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLarge parts of the city were destroyed,\u201d he said.
\n\u00a0
\nOver 280,000 people have died since the Syrian civil war began in March 2011. Another 12.8 million people have been forced from their homes.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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